What’s In Your Grandkid’s Soup?

We were shocked last year when the Academyof Pediatrics highted that one in ten girls start to develop breasts at the age of seven, with even higher rates in some communities. One of the reasons for this frightening increase in early puberty? Exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals like BPA in everyday items.

Apparently, a few canned food manufacturers missed the report from the Academy of Pediatrics: Last week, we learned that BPA appears in some canned foods marketed directly to kids.

Why are Elmo and the Disney Princesses featured on cans that contain a key early puberty related chemical?

In their new report, BPA in Kids’ Canned Foods, the Breast Cancer Fund has discovered BPA in six popular canned foods marketed directly to kids. BPA leaches from the lining of cans into canned foods. Trying to play it safe by opting for organic canned foods? Not so fast. Seemingly healthy brands like Annie’s Homegrown and Earth’s Best Organic are on the list of canned kids foods containing a chemical linked to early puberty, as well as breast cancer, obesity, learning disabilities, infertility, and more!

The physical and mental ramifications of early puberty are substantial. Girls who begin puberty at an early age are more likely to experience low self esteem, poor body image, and depression. Physical side effects include an increased risk for breast cancer, endometrial cancer, and elevated blood pressure. So what is a chemical linked to early puberty doing in foods being marketed directly towards our kids?